Skillet Cornbread with Brown Butter. A ten-inch cast-iron cornbread with browned butter, cornmeal and buttermilk for golden edges and a tender center. The formula and timing below are working estimates for a future kitchen trial, not a claim that a batch has been made.
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Brown butter meets a hot skillet
The butter does double duty here: toasted milk solids flavor a lightly sweet cornmeal batter, while a little fat left in the hot cast iron helps set a browned edge. The result is intended as eight wedges of plain cornbread, not a corn casserole or a muffin.
This ten-inch formula is untested. The proposed twenty-five-to-thirty-minute bake and the ratio of cornmeal to flour need a kitchen run, especially because cast-iron thickness changes heat transfer.
Watch the butter, not just the clock
Six tablespoons butter will foam and then reveal amber flecks. Swirl and remove it before the solids turn black. Pour most into a heatproof cup and leave about a tablespoon behind to coat the skillet. Do not discard the browned flecks: they carry the toasted flavor.
Fine yellow cornmeal and a smaller amount of wheat flour make a corn-forward batter with some structure. Buttermilk and baking soda are paired intentionally. This bread contains wheat, milk and eggs, regardless of whether the optional table accompaniment is honey.
Ingredients for 8 wedges
| Ingredient | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter | 6 tablespoons | Brown in skillet; reserve about 1 tbsp of browned fat in pan. |
| Fine yellow cornmeal | 1.25 cups | Corn-forward batter. |
| All-purpose flour | 3/4 cup | Batter structure. |
| Granulated sugar | 2 tablespoons | Light sweetness. |
| Baking powder | 2 teaspoons | Whisk with dry ingredients. |
| Baking soda | 1/4 teaspoon | Whisk with dry ingredients. |
| Fine salt | 3/4 teaspoon | Batter. |
| Cultured buttermilk | 1 cup | Wet mixture. |
| Large eggs | 2 eggs | Wet mixture. |
Step-by-step method
- Heat oven to 425°F. Melt 6 tbsp unsalted butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, swirling until milk solids turn amber and smell nutty, roughly 5–8 minutes. Pour into a heatproof cup, leaving approximately 1 tbsp browned fat in the skillet; keep the pan hot but not smoking.
- Whisk 1 1/4 cups fine yellow cornmeal, 3/4 cup flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 3/4 tsp salt. In a second bowl whisk 1 cup buttermilk and two eggs, then whisk in the reserved pourable browned butter after it has cooled slightly.
- Fold wet into dry just until combined. Carefully swirl the hot skillet to coat, pour in the batter and spread lightly. Bake at 425°F approximately 25–30 minutes until edges brown and a center skewer comes out without wet batter.
- Set the skillet on a heatproof surface for 10 minutes. Use oven mitts for the still-hot handle; slice into eight wedges and serve warm. Record butter browning, batter depth and actual bake time in a trial.
Mix briefly and bake right away
Whisk dry leaveners through the cornmeal and flour, then combine the eggs and buttermilk. Let the browned butter cool a little so it does not heat the eggs too abruptly. Fold wet and dry together only until flour disappears.
Pour into the coated hot skillet and return to the 425°F oven. Check the center with a skewer and look for an evenly colored edge. Breville describes the brown-butter skillet technique; these exact quantities are a separate Chefly working proposal.
If the edge burns or the crumb crumbles
A smoking skillet can scorch the first layer of batter. Move it off heat briefly while mixing if needed, but keep it warm. A dense center can come from overmixing or stopping the bake early. A dry, crumbly slice may need a batter or baking-time adjustment after a measured trial.
Do not substitute coarse cornmeal or a gluten-free flour blend without testing. Both alter water absorption and the slice's structure. The recipe is lightly sweet, not a claim to represent every regional cornbread tradition.
Serving and holding
Rest ten minutes before cutting eight wedges; the hot handle remains a burn risk even on the table. Serve as a separate side alongside soup or a dinner, not as the cornbread layer of an existing casserole URL.
Check leftover texture and suitable storage guidance before specifying how many days it will retain a crisp crust. Rewarming can change the center; that quality claim belongs to a kitchen trial.
Skillet questions
Can I use a cold cake pan?
That changes the distinctive hot-skillet crust and likely baking time; trial it separately.
Is the browned butter all in the batter?
Most goes into the wet mixture, while approximately a tablespoon coats the skillet.
Why wait ten minutes?
The crumb has a chance to settle before slicing, and the pan can be moved carefully with mitts.
Further reading and related Chefly recipes: Breville's brown-butter skillet cornbread. These are relevant references and other dishes, not evidence that this proposed formula was tested.
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Skillet Cornbread with Brown Butter. Category: Breads & Sides. 8 wedges. Prep approximately 20 minutes; cooking approximately 30 minutes; additional cooling/chilling approximately 10 minutes; total approximately 60 minutes excluding preheat. Not kitchen-tested; nutrition not calculated.
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons Unsalted butter; 1.25 cups Fine yellow cornmeal; 3/4 cup All-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons Granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons Baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda; 3/4 teaspoon Fine salt; 1 cup Cultured buttermilk; 2 eggs Large eggs.
Instructions: Heat oven to 425°F. Melt 6 tbsp unsalted butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, swirling until milk solids turn amber and smell nutty, roughly 5–8 minutes. Pour into a heatproof cup, leaving approximately 1 tbsp browned fat in the skillet; keep the pan hot but not smoking. Whisk 1 1/4 cups fine yellow cornmeal, 3/4 cup flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 3/4 tsp salt. In a second bowl whisk 1 cup buttermilk and two eggs, then whisk in the reserved pourable browned butter after it has cooled slightly. Fold wet into dry just until combined. Carefully swirl the hot skillet to coat, pour in the batter and spread lightly. Bake at 425°F approximately 25–30 minutes until edges brown and a center skewer comes out without wet batter. Set the skillet on a heatproof surface for 10 minutes. Use oven mitts for the still-hot handle; slice into eight wedges and serve warm. Record butter browning, batter depth and actual bake time in a trial.
Allergens: Wheat; Milk; Egg. Review packaged ingredients and cross-contact before serving.
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Skillet Cornbread with Brown Butter
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
One lightly sweet, brown-butter buttermilk cornbread baked in a 10-inch skillet.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups Fine yellow cornmeal
- 3/4 cup All-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons Granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon Fine salt
- 1 cup Cultured buttermilk
- 2 eggs Large eggs
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F. Melt 6 tbsp unsalted butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, swirling until milk solids turn amber and smell nutty, roughly 5–8 minutes. Pour into a heatproof cup, leaving approximately 1 tbsp browned fat in the skillet; keep the pan hot but not smoking.
- Whisk 1 1/4 cups fine yellow cornmeal, 3/4 cup flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 3/4 tsp salt. In a second bowl whisk 1 cup buttermilk and two eggs, then whisk in the reserved pourable browned butter after it has cooled slightly.
- Fold wet into dry just until combined. Carefully swirl the hot skillet to coat, pour in the batter and spread lightly. Bake at 425°F approximately 25–30 minutes until edges brown and a center skewer comes out without wet batter.
- Set the skillet on a heatproof surface for 10 minutes. Use oven mitts for the still-hot handle; slice into eight wedges and serve warm. Record butter browning, batter depth and actual bake time in a trial.
Notes
Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.
Additional chilling, resting or cooling time: 10 minutes, included in the total.
Untested estimate: brown butter 5–8 minutes within prep, bake 25–30 minutes and cool 10 minutes; preheat excluded.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chilling, resting or cooling: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breads & Sides
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One wedge